


familiar stranger

by iridescentwinters



Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany), SKAM (Spain)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Multi, Skam Crossover, post druck season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-27 00:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20939387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iridescentwinters/pseuds/iridescentwinters
Summary: it’s been a year since mia’s breakup, and she feels as though she’s hit the lowest point in her life, and is afraid that it’s becoming stagnant. until she has an enlightening conversation with a boy with his own dilemmas with love.





	familiar stranger

**Author's Note:**

> basically, it's kind of like a scene right before the last clip of skam españa season 2 (the iftar party)

in a king-sized bed in an apartment which was right on one of the most vividly bustling streets in madrid lay an awfully quiet girl, cladded in her favourite hoodie. her nose was buried in yet another thick book, desperate to escape her reality by visualising a perfect fantasy in her mind with the help of the words of another.

suddenly, the words on one of the lines turned blurry, making mia place the book down on her chest and shut her eyes tightly. _maybe that’s why opticians advise against reading whilst lying down, _she thought miserably. opening her eyes, she then turned onto her right side, and stared out the big bay window. it was only a quarter past 7, but night had already settled in. the sky was now painted a velvety royal blue with stars embedded in it. directly down below, you could hear the screams of joy and cries of laughter distinctly, but mia had learned to tune it out. the night sky captivated her whole attention. usually, she wasn’t one to appreciate simple things like that, but alexander was a sucker for nights like this.

_alex sat on the bench attached to the bay window, his eyes widening to the size of camera lenses. it was as though he was capturing mental images of the scenery before him. he then turned to face mia. “have you ever seen anything like this?” he asked excitedly, pure admiration clear in his hazel-brown eyes. mia chuckled at his childlike fascination. “i think i have. i mean, i think nights work in every part of the world, no?” she teased, making him roll his eyes, but a smile was etched on his face. she extended her arms out and pouted, making him get up from his position and join her on the bed. holding her in his arms, he placed his chin on her head, essentially coddling her. “yeah, but it’s just… different here. a good different.” he whispered, running his fingers through her blonde hair. “i like it here. i like being here with you, mia winter.”_

mia hadn’t realised a teardrop had escaped and streamed down her chin, hitting the bed sheet. it was little things like this that made her think of the one who got away. it had been almost a year since she last saw him, since their last conversation. when she wasn’t busy with work or studies, she found herself reminiscing in the past, and wondering what they could’ve been if they hadn’t parted ways. if she hadn’t forced a break onto them. sometimes, she found herself staring at his contact name on whatsapp, but she just never found the right words to say to him.

wiping her tears away, mia looked over to her nightstand, where her digital clock and a photograph of her and alex stood. there was something that restrained her from putting it away. she read the time off of the clock. it was a little over 8. pushing her book away, she jolted up and away from the bed, and made her way over to her wardrobe to change out of her sweatpants. she decided that instead of sulking around in her apartment, which had become more of a comfort cocoon than a living space, she’d go for a walk to clear her headspace. to free herself from her ‘what-if’ thoughts, even if it was for a little while. grabbing her essentials, her coat and her blue beanie, she stepped out of the apartment.

the first thing she was greeted by when she exited her apartment complex was a bunch of teenagers, either drunk or high from adrenaline or other stuff, running in her direction whilst yelling at the top of their lungs. a girl with purple streaks in her hair accidentally bumped into mia, and she apologised profusely, but mia merely shook it off with a smile, telling her that it was quite alright. it was refreshing seeing teenagers being so carefree. in this age, they’ve become so serious with themselves and engrossed in having a picture-perfect image on social media to the point where mia wondered if they knew what plain old fun was.

after almost colliding into more people, she finally made it to the curb and off of her street. plugging in her earphones, instead of the outside noise, mia’s ears were greeted by lewis capaldi’s vocals. she sighed, as she walked further and further down the street. **_how come i'm the only one who ever seems to get in my way? lately, i've been fucking up a good thing any chance i can get… somebody to lean on, somebody to hold, it's just another to lead out before i let go…_**

** _maybe i’m better off on my own. _ **

mia had completely tuned the world out, to the point where she was absolutely startled when she once more crashed into a tall and lanky figure. “oh, _lo siento_.” she muttered, and thought it was the end of that, till the other person began speaking. “hey, i know you! mia, right?”

mia furrowed her eyebrows. she wasn’t expecting a stranger to know her name. this time, she took a good look at the boy, and surprise was replaced with familiarity. it was the son of the man who owned her apartment complex. they lived in a huge house right opposite the complex. mia was introduced to him once by the receptionist of the building, when he had come over to see his father whose office was within the building. she took out the earphones from her ears. “yeah,” she confirmed, “and it’s… alejandro, right?”

alejandro beamed. “yup!” as far as mia could remember, the boy was only a year younger than her, but his baby features made him look much younger than he actually was. mia noticed that he was always cladded in black. last time she met him, he radiated flirtiness, and had a smirk carved on his lips. but this time, he seemed only friendly, and the smirk was now replaced with a warm smile.

“you okay?” he asked, forcing mia out of her train of thought. she slowly nodded. “yeah, sorry. just zoned out a bit.” she replied sheepishly. “you look like you’re dressed to impress. going to that party everyone seems to be running off to tonight?” she asked. alejandro nodded. “yeah. it’s one of our classmate’s…” he scratched his head, trying to recall a word, “iftar party. yeah, iftar.” he paused, before unsurely asking, “that’s the word, right? the meals muslims have after breaking fast?”

mia nodded in confirmation. “yeah! aw, that’s nice.” she remembered amira and her family inviting her and their other friends to break fast with them. there was a variety of food on the table, and she most definitely left the house full to the brim. “yeah,” alejandro agreed, “she’s really cool too.” he opened his mouth once more as though he wanted to add on, but decided against it. however, mia felt that she had an idea of what he was going to say. “but you have… _other reasons_ in mind for going to this party.” she guessed, and realised that she was right when the boy’s ears tinged pink. she couldn’t help but let a smile slip onto her face. “and does this… _reason_ have a name? does she know your intentions?”

alejandro let out a sigh in defeat. “nora.” he mumbled, “and yes. wait, well, i don’t really know.” he confessed, making one of mia’s eyebrows shoot up in interest. “i mean, i did confess my feelings for her in front of her friends! isn’t that clear enough?”

mia folded her arms. “well, have you done anything that’s made her mistrust you?” alejandro remained silent, his eyes suddenly downcast. mia seized the boy up once again. “you strike me as a ladies’ man.” she bluntly stated, but it didn’t faze alejandro.

it took him another couple of minutes to answer her question. “i broke her friend’s heart.” he simply stated. but that sufficed for mia. suddenly, a strong feeling of familiarity hit mia square in the chest.

alejandro didn’t notice mia’s slight change in attitude, and continued blabbering. “she thinks i just want her for sex, but it’s not that! she’s different, and i truly want her. hell, i don’t think i’ve ever _wanted_ someone, or _longed_ for them like this. she just… i feel like she gets me.” his voice faltered. “and deep down inside, i know that she’s the one. we have a connection. and i damn right know that she feels it, too. but she’s…”

“-too scared.” mia continued for him. “she thinks that it’s just a game. that once she gives herself to you completely, you’re going to disappear.” alejandro’s eyebrows furrowed, before understanding struck him. “that… that makes sense.” he muttered. mia’s heart ached for him. “i haven’t been a good person, mia. i’ve… i’ve made mistakes. i lashed out on her friend once, as if my actions didn’t hurt her enough.” hesitantly, he looked over at mia. “do you think i’m a bad person now?”

mia stayed silent for a couple of minutes, and just stared at the boy intently. alejandro was starting to not only look but feel like someone else she once knew. she could easily pick out the incessant sadness that gleamed in his sharp brown eyes. everyone may not notice it, but she wasn’t everyone. “no.” she stated firmly. “i don’t think you’re a bad person at all, alejandro.” she carefully picked out her following words. “i think you’re just… misguided. things not good at home?”

a mixture of hurt and anger flashed through his eyes. “they’ve never been good.” he muttered, his eyes fixed back onto the ground, avoiding mia’s stare. but she could easily read his thoughts. she’d been there, after all. and so had alex. wondering what it would’ve been like if they didn’t have broken families. if their relationships hadn’t been so shattered to the point where they felt the need to act out to get their parents’ attention.

“don’t let your past define who you are in the present, and in the future.” mia suddenly broke the silence, making alejandro look up. “because that isn’t who you are, alejandro. no matter what people say.” she placed a hand on his shoulder. “you are better than that. and you better start believing it. i may not know you that well, but i know that you are more than the person you portray yourself to be. don’t ever start believing that this persona you’ve created is you. and if nora can’t see past that, then i don’t think that she deserves you.”

alejandro let a small smile fall on his lips. “i think it’s that _i_ don’t deserve _her._” he weakly chuckled. mia hit him lightly on the chest. “don’t undermine your self worth.” she scolded lightly. “after all, we accept the love we think we-”

alejandro groaned. “_please_, don’t ever use that cursed quote ever again. think i’ve heard enough of it to last an entire lifetime.” he cringed, making mia laugh. the duo drifted into a comfortable silence, and cars zooming past was now the only sound audible. “and nora? what do i do about her? how can i show her that i’m sincere?” alejandro asked.

“_talk_ to her.” mia stressed on the former word. “i know it sounds trivial, but communication really is key.” her voice began quivering slightly. “she sounds like someone who has just as many walls up as you do. break that down. establish that connection you feel. make her feel safe, that she can trust you 100%. if you really want this relationship, alejandro, fight for it. and relationships will always have their ups and downs. you have to make sure you’re all in, that you’re willing to make sacrifices for each other.”

alejandro said nothing. he let mia’s words sink in, before slowly nodding. “you’re right. i’d never seen it like that before.” he admitted. “thank you, mia. i don’t think i’ve ever had a conversation like this before with anyone really.”

mia smiled, shrugging. “it’s no biggie. i’m known to offer perspective.” she joked, making alejandro chuckle. he then looked down onto his watch. “fuck, i should probably get going. i wanted to make a fashionably _late_ appearance, but i think it’s a little _too late_ for that now.” he cackled at his own time pun, making mia roll her eyes. “yeah, you better get going.” she agreed. “hey, you should come with! you’d fit in nice with the rest of us.” he then said, before giving the girl one look over and scrunching up his nose. “well, maybe we should get you changed out of _that_.” he pointed at her hoodie. “why do you always have it on anyway? it’s not even that cold yet.”

mia looked down at the white oversized hoodie, and shrugged, despite knowing her answer perfectly. there were different reasons. maybe it was because it replaced the absence of warmth she felt constantly, or maybe it was a desperate attempt at filling the hole in her heart. the missing puzzle piece.

they were different reasons, but they essentially led to the same person.

“maybe next time.” she said, and without warning, alejandro wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. she smiled, and patted his back. she watched him run down the street. turning his upper body towards her direction, he yelled, “see you soon, mia!” she grinned and waved back, before putting her earphones back in, and continued her walk down the opposite path.

later that night, mia slipped back into the comfort of her bed. taking the photo frame off of her nightstand, she grasped it tightly. her fingers brushed over alex’s face. she thought back to her conversation with alejandro. _if you really want this relationship, then fight for it._ a couple of months back, she believed that there was nothing to fight for anymore. that it was all over. but she was wrong. in reality, you never lose that spirit if your heart constantly longs for them.

a different tune began to play in her head, as she picked up her phone, and went onto whatsapp, and scrolled down to find a certain chat with a man named axel in her phone. _**all the streetlights, illuminate what home used to feel like, and when i get to thinking, can't sleep at night… no, i don't feel right…**_

taking a deep breath, mia pressed onto the voice message button. “hey.” she started off softly. “i’ve… i’ve been doing a lot of thinking.” suddenly, all the words that she couldn’t find before came flowing in easily. “i know what i said to you that night. about you, me, us. the more time i’ve spent apart from you, the more i realised how untrue my words were.” _**i wish i'd have stayed, 'cause love can find a way to make your feet run heavy, make your heart run steady, then it breaks, so i'm praying that you're feeling the same...**_

she swallowed harshly, before continuing. “i was afraid of falling deeper for you. that i’d come to the point where i wouldn’t be able to breathe without you. but it’s too late. i’ve already reached that point, alexander. the only difference is that i’m not afraid of that anymore. because i know i can trust you 100% to catch me no matter the consequences. there’s no one i want more than you. want doesn’t even cover it. there’s no one i _need_ more than you. i always thought that i’d have to brave the world on my own for the rest of my life, but i know that’s not true anymore. our relationship has never been fairytale perfect, but it’s _ours_. if you don’t want this anymore, i understand. but know this.” she let her voice break. “if you gave me a second chance, i promise i would make it worth it. i love you, alexander hardenberg.” _**so tell me honey, oh, when you're just a step away from falling apart, do you ever feel like going back to the start?**_

mia released the button, and let the message be sent. her heart thumped against her chest as she watched the double ticks turn blue within the matter of minutes. her pulse throbbed against her ears as she watched alex’s ‘online’ status turn to ‘recording…’

he sent back a voice message that was much shorter than hers. her heart suddenly deflated, as her finger hovered over the play button. _he must’ve moved on already, _her conscience whispered miserably to her. _of course he has. any girl would drop dead to be with him. he is alexander hardenberg, after all._

taking a sharp breath, she played the message.

_“god, you don’t know how happy i am to hear you. to hear your words and your voice. i fucking missed you, mia. and there’s nobody else in the world that i want-need more than you. nobody can ever be you. i love you so damn much, mia winter. i’ll see you soon, angel.”_

mia bursted into joyful tears, laughing and sobbing at the same time. that was the first time in a whole year where she’s actually felt _full_ again. the crack in her heart was healing once more.

she may never be able to be sure of things in life, but one thing would always be certain. it’s alexander. it’ll always be alexander.

it’ll always be _mia and alexander. _

> _ **“if we can pick it up, just tell me where and when,** _
> 
> _ **we'll go back to the start again.”** _

**Author's Note:**

> LET ME TELL YOU THE DAMN TROUBLE I WENT THROUGH WITH THIS.... i wrote this at around 2AM. but my laptop was being a bitch and decided to shut down on me!!! and i was writing on tumblr... so my entire draft was gone (i even checked the drafts tab, nothing there) :( but by some grace of god i didn't lose motivation again so here it is again! i thought i wouldn't be as happy with it as i was with the first one i wrote, but i have to say that i'm pretty content with it:) hope you enjoyed it! please let me know what you thought of it <3


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